As you should know by now, many companies are on the bandwagon of utilising AI to replace the human workforce. In this latest stunt, McDonald's Netherlands recently released a Christmas-themed commercial created entirely with AI, which was largely met with negative reception. Who could have seen that coming?

What Went Wrong

The video advertisement was released on its official YouTube channel. It's no longer there, but you can still view the original AI-clip on X here. According to the source, the advert depicts a satirical, chaotic version of holiday season stress, from family dinners gone wrong to mishaps during ice-skating, and other over-the-top disasters. These scenes were part of a classic holiday song, reimagined as “the most terrible time of the year.”

The intent was to position McDonald’s as a refuge from holiday hassles. But the reaction towards the video was largely negative. Shortly after release, McDonald’s disabled comments on the video, then removed the ad entirely. Sources say the critics were ruthless about both the execution and the concept. The AI-generated visuals were widely described as uncanny and poorly rendered, with some scenes featuring people whose limbs contorted or melted unnaturally mid-fall, notably during an ice-skating mishap.

Beyond the visuals, many viewers found the advert’s cynical tone jarring. Reframing Christmas — a time often associated with warmth, family and goodwill — as a miserable ordeal and encouraging families to “escape” to McDonald’s struck many as tone-deaf or even disrespectful. What’s more, the company behind the advert, The Sweetshop (and its AI-division The Gardening.club), admitted that the project took far more human labour than initially expected, reportedly ten people working full-time for five to seven weeks to coax decent results out of the AI.

What’s Next for AI in Advertising

For advertisers and creative agencies, the McDonald’s case may serve as a cautionary tale. Using AI for broad-brush marketing may promise to reduce costs or speed up production, but delivering genuine emotional impact — especially around sensitive cultural moments — still seems to demand human creativity, empathy, and careful execution.

Still, we are expecting greater scrutiny of AI-generated ads going forward, particularly when they involve human likenesses, holidays, or emotionally significant themes. Brands may retreat to simpler, less “risky” AI uses (e.g. abstract animation, product renders) rather than realistic human-centred storytelling, at least until AI video generation improves significantly. Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.